Long Way Home
by wubbzy
Summary: May in Alola, told in a series of vignettes. Advanceshipping.
1. Introduction

_AN:_ Dedicated to LucarioADV, ChloboShoka, and Bluesky24. They both recently wrote some advanceshipping for me, that inspired me to finally write this! Please go check out their stuff when you have the chance! Enjoy!

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 _Long Way Home  
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 **1\. Introduction. 590  
** 11 March 2017

May closed her eyes and let the breeze run through her hazel colored tresses. Her white sundress ran away with the wind. She made her way down the steps of the airplane, her slender fingers around her kaki purse, her other hand fisted around her luggage.

A gust of wind blew exceptionally hard, her hand on her purse making its way to her straw hat and holding it in place as she looked down to take in the sight of the palm trees.

A small smile curled up, her eyes brimming with excitement and her heart pounding with anticipation.

She began taking the steps down to her new adventure.

She looked over to two of the women at the bottom of the steps, waving and welcoming her with hospitality she's never seen before. A comfey, the posy picker pokemon, placed a rim of flowers around her, accentuating her complexion and dress.

The women below grinned, ushering her off the steps.

"Alola!" they greeted.

"Alola!" May greeted back, feeling her anticipation rising the more she realized exactly where she was, exactly who she would be seeing soon.

She lifted her head, staring in the distance, a boy and his pikachu running straight towards her.

A warm smile curled up, feeling it was far too long since she saw her friend.

Luckily for May, the boy stopped before he completely crashed into her. Her smile widened at the look of Ash's wide grin measuring from ear to ear. May smiled back, her expression warm and inviting.

Both their hearts pounded wildly: Ash, because he sprinted over to see her as fast as he could, and May, because – she wasn't entirely sure of the answer.

She just knew she was far too happy to see Ash, knowing for a fact that he has grown, improved, gotten stronger – he's changed so much.

She was surprised, when Ash stared deeply into her eyes, excitement and a fire in his auburn irises.

She gulped, her grip on her luggage tightening.

"Alola, May!" he greeted in between heaves for breath.

"Alola, Ash, Pikachu," she said back. Pikachu jumped over to her, greeting her with a nuzzle of his cheeks before going back to Ash's shoulder.

"I can't wait to show you everything! We're going to have so much fun! We can get on a lapras, and ride a sharpedo, and go flying on a charizard or a pelipper, and try malasada – you're going to _love_ that stuff," Ash blabbered, his mouth moving too fast for his own good. He took her luggage in his hand, rolling it along. He continued on, taking her wrist and about ready to drag her out of the airport.

May was a bit overwhelmed, her eyes moving from everything that was so different, yet so relaxing and new.

"Ash, maybe I should check into my hotel first!" May tried, hoping she could get a word in before Ash got too immersed in explaining everything he did and what they would soon do in Alola.

Ash stopped, rubbing the back of his neck and sheepishly chuckling, realizing he got carried away.

"Sorry."

"It's fine, let's just stop at my hotel first!" May said excitedly, linking arms with him and winking in his direction. Ash smiled back, excited to have a longtime friend with him once more.

His expression softened as they made their way over to May's hotel, both retelling their previous adventures in other regions.

"Ash? It's great to have you back," she admitted, beaming tenderly.

"I'm glad you're here too. Welcome to Melemele Island, May!"

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 _AN:_ Finally decided to write a May in Alola fic! It's about time someone wrote one, actually haha. I was getting impatient! X) If there is something you want to see in this series, then please let me know! If you spot any errors, please let me know! Anyways, tell me what you think!


	2. Vacation

_AN:_ Okay, if anyone can find (or can draw) a May in Alola fanart, that would be absolutely wonderful! It makes me sad that there are barely any! These chapters will be a little shorter compared to my usual work, however, hopefully that will mean I can dish them out quicker! It will start off a little slow, but things will pick up as soon as I get the beginning out of the way. Enjoy!

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 **2\. Vacation. 934  
** 17 March 2017

Ash grinned, taking another big bite of his malasada. He watched May's face light up as she devoured her food too. He looked down under the table and smiled when he saw Pikachu, Rowlet, Rockruff, and May's glaceon, eating their pokemon food. Ash chuckled at Rotom continuing to add more information on glaceon.

"You were right, this _is_ great! I love it! Especially after a fun swim! I am definitely getting seconds!" May exclaimed, the soft dough practically melting in her mouth as she savored the flavor. Ash nodded, knowing exactly what she meant.

They had spent the whole weekend relaxing and enjoying their time together. May merely came for a much needed vacation after everything she heard from Ash about Alola on video calls.

Ash looked at her curiously.

"So, are you still bummed out about the Grand Festival?" Ash asked, hoping it was alright to bring it up. He knew losing was a sore spot, especially for May. Pikachu looked up, his ears perked and listening in. Ash watched her intently. May sighed, her eyes looking poignant, yet still a bit hopeful.

"I think I'm always going to be a little sad about it. It was the closest I've ever gotten to winning, after all. But I guess the only thing I can do now is just keep going – well, take a nice break, first," she corrected, taking another big bite of the malasada. Ash grinned, nodding.

"I know what you mean. I needed a break too."

"I can see that – very _long_ break, I take it. Beautiful place to take it too," May said, looking out of the malassada café to watch the ocean.

"Hey, I'm still learning a lot and catching new pokemon!" Ash reasoned. May merely nodded, however, giving him an unsure smile.

Still, he seemed happy. Her smile brightened, digging through her bag before taking her piece of the terracotta ribbon out and presenting it to Ash. The look on her face seemed to ask if he still had his half of the ribbon. Ash's eyes showed awe for a moment at the shiny ribbon. Ash's grin grew wider, seeming to answer with a wholehearted yes. His eyes brightened at the sight of their old trinket that meant so much to them.

"Hey, but let's not make that break _too_ long though, yeah?" May asked, giving him wink. Ash nodded, reaching into his pocket before taking his half of the ribbon out.

"Definitely not. I still want to be a pokemon master, after all!" Ash reassured, moving his piece of the ribbon closer to hers, it finally becoming whole once more.

May nodded, happy to hear that. She was even happier that Ash kept his ribbon so close to him, however. This fact caused butterflies to flutter in her stomach and her heart to race at the very idea.

She kept her ribbon so close to her heart, because it eased her uncertainty and her anxiety before every contest.

She loved it, because it brought her hope and reassurance before every battle, before every performance, through every night alone.

Just thinking back to the days May spent training or the stories Ash told her of his hard work through Kalos continued to exhaust her.

Yeah, they both _definitely_ needed a break.

However, May found it odd that the reason Ash stayed in Alola was for _school_ of all things.

"Ash, I never expected you to stay in Alola for _school_ ," May pointed out. Because really, it wasn't like Ash. He would rather be going around a region and traveling and discovering new pokemon as he moved forward. That was the key word, he would always move forward.

Staying stagnant, not planning to join a league in a new region, was something that was unheard of for Ash.

"Hey, it's a _pokemon_ school! It's actually really great. I'm learning a lot about all kinds of new pokemon. Plus, there are so many new ones; Alolan versions of the Kato pokemon here, too," Ash retorted, grinning stupidly. May smiled, knowing this was the same ole' Ash, at the very least. Same ole' Ash who loved pokemon more than anything, who would fight tooth and nail to help them out. "Hey, you know, you should check it out tomorrow! You should stop by the school!"

"Oh, so you're not going to ditch school to extend this little vacation time?" May teased.

"It'd be fun to hangout more, but I don't want to be absent from class either," Ash tried to say. May giggled.

"Look at you, Mr. Goody Two Shoes," May continued to tease. Ash began to childishly pout without even realizing it. He continued to do so until his face light up, a bright idea surfacing to the forefront of his mind.

"Hey, you know what? Why don't you just come to school with me tomorrow? You gotta meet all my new friends!" Ash explained, excited with his idea. Pikachu instantly jumped up, excited with this as well. May giggled, nodding in agreement, although mentioning how she was never the best when it came to school. "You'll see! You'll have loads of fun!" Ash reassured.

May thought for a moment, wondering if she should.

"Yeah, I'm definitely going to school with you tomorrow!" May smiled, beaming at the boy. Ash and Pikachu cheered, happy that she would meet all his new friends. He got so excited, he began to talk all about all of them – Mallow, Kiawe, Lillie, Sophocles, and Lana.

May nodded, not sure what to expect tomorrow, but none the less, she liked the idea of this new development.

.

 **Important!** Okay, so I love it when you guys give your input, so I will ask some questions and would love to see what you all think! And I was mostly writing this because I wanted to read a May in Alola fic, but it looks like many wanted to see one. This one, I wanted it to be based off the anime, however, many of you came up with really great ideas already (and it will also have a lot of game elements to it that aren't in the anime). If there is anything else in particular you would like to see in this story, please let me know!

 **1\. What pokemon do you think May caught in Johto (for Johto I'm thinking pokemon other pokegirls haven't caught yet – I already decided on two pokemon, but would love to know what you guys think)? How about what she should catch in Alola?**

 **2\. Do you think I should include something that is not in the games (like contest) for May, or no?**

3\. I'm using the 100themechallenge themes to write these. So the most chapters this can have is 100, but honestly, that might be too excessive. I may pick 30 or 50 to use for this story, depending on what you guys think.

Your input means a lot! Till next time!


	3. Light

_AN:_ This would have came out sooner, but I went on a bit of a vacation. Alright, here's the next chapter! Hope you guys enjoy! Thanks for all the input, it really means a lot and definitely makes this fic better! I'm definitely going to be using a lot of them (you'll see which ones as soon as I get to that haha).

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 **3\. Light. 2200  
** 2 April 2017

May fixed her straw hat before knocking on Professor Kukui's door. May waited outside Professor Kukui's house, wondering what was taking Ash so long.

"I'm sure he said this time," May said to herself, her eyebrows furrowing and wondering if Ash slept in. When Professor Kukui opened the door, May smiled, greeting him enthusiastically, having met him during the weekend.

"Alola, Professor Kukui!"

"Alola, May! I heard you're coming to school with Ash?" he asked. May answered with a nod. Kukui laughed. "Well, come on in, make yourself at home. I have to get to the school early, but Ash should be down soon," Kukui explained, letting her in. May nodded, thanking him.

May looked around, smiling at Professor Kukui's home. It looked very comfortable and cozy. She could understand why Ash would want to stay there.

"Ash? Are you there?" she asked.

"In a minute!" Ash called from above, most likely rushing to finish dressing. She smiled when Pikachu, Rowlet, and Rockruff greeted her as they ate their breakfast. She waited a few minutes before Ash climbed down the latter in a hurry, his backpack unzipped and his hat on backwards. He grinned.

"Morning, May! Are you ready to go to school?" he asked, fixing his hat. May nodded, giggling at his state of panic and enthusiasm.

"I was never good in school, so hopefully you weren't messing with me about it being fun."

"Oh, it is! Don't worry, you'll have a blast!" Ash exclaimed, grabbing a slice of toast Kukui left for him and putting it in his mouth. He put rockruff in his pokeball, while Pikachu jumped on his shoulder and Rowlet comfortably settled in Ash's unzipped backpack. May yelped when he then grabbed her wrist and dragged her all the way to school.

"We have to hurry, or else we're going to be late!"

.

May was a bit nervous when they finally made it to the school. She was a little intimidated. It seemed so big, with so many pokemon and students rushing to their appropriate classes.

"Don't worry, everyone will love ya!" Ash reassured. May nodded, gulping regardless.

When they made it inside Ash's class, May was surprised to see only five students sitting patiently at their desk. Judging by Ash's previous descriptions, she had a good idea of who was who. They all seemed to either look surprise or have a big smile on their face at the sight of May. The first person to come close to her and greet her with a big smile, was a girl with long green hair; Mallow, as Ash had pointed out.

"I'm Mallow, and this is my Steene! Ash told us all about you!"

"He did?" May wondered, looking at Ash curiously. Ash chuckled, scratching the back of his head. Mallows face moved closer to hers, seeming very eccentric.

"Yeah, he said that you are a great coordinator! He said you are one of the best!" May blushed at the compliment.

"W-well, I'm not that good," she said modestly, brushing her hair in back of her ear.

"But still, aren't you called the "Princess of Hoenn?" You can't get a name like that being 'not that good," Kiawe pointed out from his seat, raising a brow with crossed arms. "I'm Kiawe by the way, Alola," he added. She nodded, bowing before hesitantly agreeing.

"I'm May, Alola to all of you!" she greeted.

"Alola!" they all greeted back. Many stood when they introduced themselves.

"I'm Lana."

"I'm Sophocles," he greeted. "And this is Togedemaru. Nice to meet you!"

"I'm Lillie," she said, holding her Vulpix close and giving a polite curtsy.

"You have to show us some of your moves some time! I heard you're as good as Ash!" Sophocles said with a big smirk.

"As good as Ash? Maybe when it comes to a certain type of battling. But I've never tried gym battling," May corrected.

"But didn't you guys battle? And it was a tie or something?" Mallow asked. May looked at Ash, who only impishly laughed, feeling rather embarrassed himself – he didn't think they would remember all the things he'd say about May. She was flattered, really.

The back of her mind wondered, however, what would happen if she didn't measure up to their expectations – to Ash's expectations.

"W-well," May began to say, but luckily, the professor and the principle, Samson Oak, walked in before she had a chance to explain. Ash only grinned, excited for her to experience the school.

"Alola!" Kakui and Samson Oak greeted.

"Alola," the class greeted.

"Oh? A new student?" Principle Oak asked.

"A friend of Ash's!" Mallow aided. He nodded, smiling at May.

"I'm May!" May introduced. Professor Kakui nodded while May found an empty seat next to Ash.

"Well, let's get started on today's lesson!" Principle Oak said, ready to say as many pokemon puns as he can muster.

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When the bell rang, signifying that school was over, May was bombarded with numerous questions from Ash's classmates.

"So, May..." they started, asking questions from how it's like in Hoenn and Johto, to what it's like being a coordinator and asking if she could share some of her stories of her adventures in Johto. May did her best to answer all their questions, and looked to Ash for help after so many were given. Ash grinned, stepping in.

"Hey, there will be more time for that later! For now, how about we all hang out together?" he suggested, hoping they can all become great friends.

"Great idea, Ash!" Mallow agreed.

"Why don't we go swimming?" Lana suggested. They all nodded, excited to hang out with Ash's old friend.

"Yeah, that's a great idea! Then May can show us all her pokemon from different regions!" May paused, scratching her cheek with a deep blush running across her face.

Alolans _really_ know how to give a girl a greeting.

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The sun was glaring down on them today, May using her straw hat to shield her eyes. May threw three pokeballs in the air, and out came a teddiursa, a chikorita, and her glaceon. Ash followed her lead, throwing a pokeball to reveal his rockruff. Rowlet shook his head awake, flying out of Ash's backpack. Ash looked over to May's new pokemon, excited to see two new friends.

"Teddiursa and Chikorita?" Ash asked, excitedly bending down and waving to the two. Both pokemon watched him with curious eyes, never seeing him before.

"I only brought three of my pokemon with me," May explained. "The rest are with my parents," she explained. Ash nodded in understand, reaching his hand to pet her chikorita. May kneeled down, petting both Teddiursa and Chikorita. Rotom made its move, quickly snapping a picture of both pokemon before they had a chance to blink.

"Alright you two, meet your new friends! We're here to have fun, so go play with Pikachu and the others!" she said, and they nodded, going off with Glaceon and Pikachu.

"You ready?" he asked. May nodded, excited to go into the water once more.

"Most definitely!" she exclaimed. "Race you!" She ran, getting a head start to where the others were setting up. Ash watched for a second before scrunching his face at her cheating.

"Hey!"

.

May flopped down on the warm sand, feeling exhausted from running around with everyone. She was also goaded into participating into a double battle with Ash, which were always fun but certainly tired her out.

Ash plopped down right next to her.

"So, what do you think?" Ash asked. May grinned, sitting up and wrapping her arms around her legs.

"I love it here, and your new friends are really nice," she admitted. Both looked farther off to where all the pokemon were playing together.

"I'm glad you're having fun." She smiled his way before looking off into the horizon at the setting sun. She laughed, loving the way the colors painted a beautiful picture in her eyes.

"Yeah, seeing you have so much fun here makes me not want to leave, to be honest," she confessed.

"Then don't," Ash merely said. May let out a sharp gasp, looking his way with wide blue eyes. Ash merely shrugged. "Hey, you can use this as a break, right?" he reasoned.

"Hey, you totally should," Mallow jumped in, a big grin running across her features as she looked down at the two. May yelped a bit, not realizing the rest could hear their conversation. The rest of Ash's classmates looked at her and nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, the more the merrier!" Lana offered.

"I wouldn't even know where I'd stay, though," May explained. "I mean, I don't think I can stay at the pokemon center indefinitely. And I definitely don't have enough to keep staying at a hotel this whole time," May reasoned, scratching her cheek.

Lillie smiled. "Hey, you know, I live in a mansion. You can stay with me, if you like," she offered.

"Ash is already freeloading off of Professor Kukui anyways," Kiawe laughed, making Ash fall backwards.

"Hey, it's not like that!" Ash retorted, making everyone laugh at his flustered expression.

"That's nice of you! If it's not too much trouble, Lillie," May said. "Thank you, but I still have to think about it."

"No trouble at all!" Lillie said, smiling. "No worries."

May made sure to think long and hard about this.

It was a big decision to make.

.

The week she was planning to stay felt like it had gone way too quickly. She had so much fun exploring Mele Mele Island with Ash and the rest of his classmates. They explored and learned so much about the different parts of the island, finding every alcove and waterfall they could.

She got to know all of Ash's classmates, glad she made these new friends. She tried Mallows cooking (which she would have eaten the whole pot if she didn't have to share with the rest), she tried the freshest milk from Kiawe's family delivery service, she got to see Sophocles' incredible inventions, she watched how Lillie's mansion was a pokemon paradise, and she was able to go fishing with Lana.

It was exciting to say the least, especially because Ash was with her every step of the way. It felt like old times, going on new adventures with him like when she first started her journey.

She smiled, looking up to the clear blue sky, realizing she had to make her decision soon.

They were all so hospitable and nice, but she still had to see if she really wanted to extend her stay in Alola. Really, she was only supposed to be here for a week, tops.

"Hey, don't sweat it, May! Whatever you decide will be fine by me," Ash tried to reassure when he realized she was extremely conflicted. He didn't want to make her feel obligated to stay, of course.

"He'll just miss you a lot," Mallow whispered, giggling to herself. Ash raised an eyebrow, wondering what she was talking about.

"Eh? I was just trying to say, that she could use a longer break! In a way, going to pokemon school is a nice break," Ash reasoned, still a bit flustered. Mallow, Lana, and Lillie giggled at his embarrassed expression.

"How long is this break?" May inquired, raising an eyebrow. Ash merely shrugged. May frowned at this, wondering if this was what was called a rut, which Ash seemed to be sitting in.

"Not sure. But hey, a longer break never hurt," Ash argued. May nodded. "Plus, it's not really a break! I'm still learning a whole lot about pokemon and I'm still battling!" Ash reasoned again, raising his arm to show her the sparkling Z – crystals he had told her about. May thought for a moment.

"True… you know, I know you offered to let me stay at your place, Lillie. That's really nice of you, but hope I wouldn't be over welcoming my stay if I did end up going to school with all of you… I think it _would_ be nice to stay here: new region, new me, right?"

"You definitely wouldn't be over welcoming your stay! It gets so lonely in that big mansion by myself with just my maids and butlers. It would be a pleasure to have you!" Lillie explained, a happy smile curling up.

"See? May, it wouldn't be any trouble! You should stay, it'll be awesome. Like old times, right?" Ash said, holding the biggest grin she's seen from him. She couldn't help but smile herself at his easy going attitude and being reminded of the old days.

He was always like her beacon of hope, her light at the end of the dark tunnel. He always guided her like a northern star, lighting her path in the right direction.

It felt like he was doing the same in this instance. There was no reason why she shouldn't let him do the same this time around.

Really, it didn't seem like much harm would be done if she extended her break, right?

When Ash grinned, it felt like all her worries vanished, knowing his smile would always be her sliver of light - her beacon.

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 _AN:_ So, I guess the chapters will get longer as they go. xD Look forward to that I suppose? Sorry if it's a little confusing (there are so many characters it's hard to give all of them development). But there will be a bunch more chapters for that, so I hope this is okay for now. I just wanted to get things started, so I can get to the fun part (Ash doing his trials among other things (; ). Well, I hope you guys liked and I hope you guys like my decisions so far. Also, May can have other pokemon at her father's gym, we'll see haha. But I'll say now, she doesn't have Manaphy (yet?). I might save a plot with Manaphy later in this fic, so look forward to that! Till next time!


	4. Mirror

_AN:_ Sorry, I kind of needed a break from writing in general. Plus, I'm starting to write original work/ trying to make money (so like you know, that will have to take priority). Enjoy!

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 **04\. Mirror. 1114  
** 2 June 2017

May was in awe by everything Alola had to offer, including the numerous shopping complexes.

It was absolutely incredible, Melemele island having so many shopping districts. She was there with Ash and his classmates. Well, mostly with Mallow, Lillie and Lana, the girls being the only ones invested and fully accepting of the mission at hand, which is finding May a new outfit for Alola. Especially since she was planning on staying for longer – indefinitely.

The boys in question decided to go off and do their own thing at the mall, most likely trying to find more pokemon related items to buy.

The girls would join them of course, just as soon as they found something for May – because they made sure they kept their priorities straight.

May's eyes gleamed with admiration for the numerous racks of clothes that crowded the different stores, wondering how she could pick something when there are rows upon rows of different clothes. She would have to come here before she left, knowing this would be a perfect place to find a great contest outfit or ten.

"This place is paradise," May said blissfully. The girls nodded, sighing in content as they looked at the cute outfits waiting to be tried on – they were practically calling to them.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Mallow asked, a big grin plastered on her face.

.

May sighed, watching the deep frown form in her reflection, wondering why she couldn't find something worthwhile. It was really frustrating, truly.

"Oh man, having so many to choose from can be a real bummer," May said, feeling less enthusiastic about this mission. It had already been over an hour. She was getting hungry.

"Hey, cheer up, May! We'll find you something," Mallow tried to encourage. Lillie nodded, continuing to look for a cute outfit as well.

"We have to find something stylish," Lillie thought aloud.

"But also easy to move around in and comfortable," Lana suggested, her top priority being comfort and something physically okay.

"But something that obviously fits the weather," Mallow chimed in.

As May continued to look, she happened to come across green shorts and a light-yellow shirt with white-washed flower imprints.

"Hey, what do you think of this?" May asked, presenting the outfit to the girls.

"Wow, that looks so cute. I think that would be a nice outfit on you," Lillie said, holding the rim of her white hat. Lana nodded in agreement.

"Try it on!" Mallow urged, pushing her into the dressing room.

.

Once May got ready, she looked herself up and down, absolutely adoring the look.

"Wow, I kind of like it!"

"Show us!" Mallow called from the other side of the dressing room.

When May stepped out, all three girl's faces glowed with admiration.

"That is so cute!"

"Adorable!"

"I like it!"

It looked like all three approved. Mallow thought for a moment, tapping her index finger to her chin. "Last thing, though," she began, soon grabbing a red hat and handing the hat to May.

May stared down at the red hat in her hand.

"The hat isn't too much?"

"Not at all. It really suits you!" Mallow reassured, adoring it.

"Then I guess that's that!"

May nodded, eagerly heading to the cashier to get her new outfit.

.

May frowned in the changing room, looking at her old red bandana and the new red hat.

It felt like she was moving on to something new. But she just wasn't sure if she was ready for that. Like she was becoming a new person. She wasn't sure if she particularly liked the new person she was going to be, if she should really give up this old bandana.

Looking at said bandana, it made her think of when she first became a trainer, when she discovered the world of pokemon, when she first met Ash…

May sighed, clenching onto her red bandana even tighter, knowing it was a big part of her identity, and feeling like she was letting it go in some way.

She jumped up from her seated position when she heard a few knocks.

"May, you there?" Ash questioned from the other side.

"A-Ash?" May gasped.

"Are you almost done? I heard you were just changing into the new outfit you bought?"

"Um, yeah, just give me a minute." When she heard the light okay, and a "Pika," from Pikachu, May hurried, placing the red hat over her russet hair. She looked at her reflection, smiling at herself before looking at the red bandana in her hand. She took a big breath, however, figuring it was now or never. It was time to move forward. She nodded to herself before she opened the door, walking over to where Ash and his classmates were.

"Ash?" May asked shyly.

"Yeah?" Ash asked, looking up from looking at pokeball keychains. His expression immediately changed. It went from a blank expression, to a happy one for May.

"Wow, I like the new outfit!" Ash complimented. May blushed, thanking him.

"Thanks, Ash."

"Hey, is that your red bandana?" Ash wondered, excited to see it. May nodded, a nostalgic feeling rising in her chest when she looked at the red cloth in her hand.

"That makes me think back to when we first met," Ash laughed. "You always wore that, right? Just like me and my hats," Ash said, tugging at the end of his own hat.

"Hey, you're right." May grinned, taking his hand and moving him to the mirror.

"What are you doing?" Ash questioned, raising an eyebrow. Pikachu looked to have a similar expression.

"Just look at us! We look so different now, don't we?" May giggled, seeing both of them in completely different clothes from when they first met. "It's been such a long time, it's crazy how much we changed."

"Also, how much hasn't changed, too," Ash reminded. May nodded in agreement, before she giggled, deciding to wrap her red bandanna around Pikachu.

"Pika?" Pikachu tilted his head.

"You can keep it, Pikachu. You're the reason why we even started traveling together, right?" May winked, thinking back to the very first time they met.

"Pika!" Pikachu thanked, Ash smiled, petting Pikachu's head before Pikachu jumped on May's shoulder, nuzzling her cheek. She looked in the mirror once more, thinking that she was glad not everything has changed.

"I'm glad we're still great friends, Ash," May said. Ash placed his hands behind his head, nodding in agreement.

"Me too, May!"

"Picture!" Rotomdex suggested, before snapping flashes of photos, the flash blinding Ash and making him fall on his butt.

All Pikachu and May could do was laugh, thankful they were all still together.

.

AN: Gah, this one didn't come out how I wanted. ;_; I'm sorry. I will do better next time, promise! Welp, the Sun and Moon anime is finally picking up, and I need to try to, in a way, "catch up with it," in terms of the Pokemon Ash has. xD Don't worry, it's not going to be following the anime, however. I might do a few chapters of the school, but after that I think we're going to focus more on the challenges etc. (possibly). It will also be going to go into game territory afterwards (especially since I'm a add Hau and Either Foundation, more Team Skull, etc.). There will be a few time skips too to get to the juicy stuff.


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